Ultimate Guide to Wine Cellars

Accessorize, accessorize. We all know that having the right accessory can p­ull together a look, a moment or even a meal. But can the right accessory really add to the wine lover's experience? Of course it can.

With everything from stemware to corkscrews to aerators and charms all ripe for the picking, there's no reason you can't add some style and spice of your own to the flavor found within the bottles you're breaking open [source: International Wine Accessories, World Market]. Let's first take a look at stemware.

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Nearly as important as the wine itself, a good wineglass will help you fully appreciate the flavor, depth and aroma of your wine. As good as coffee tastes from a steamy mug on a cold morning, you'd never drink your Rioja out of a ceramic cup. A glass partially filled and held by the stem allows for the full experience of wine consumption, making the right glass will be the best accessory. From tulips to flutes, coupes and tumblers, there's a glass for every occasion, so pick the right one for the job [source: Robinson].

Your next accessory might be a smaller showy wine rack (in addition to regular shelving), which stores bottles for a short period of time and displays your obvious good taste. For the ultimate connoisseur, a wine decanter will help wine shed its sediment and grow in flavor [source: Nase]. To document your tastings, consider a wine album and record your notes on each wine's taste and the food consumed with it.

Now that you've got the look and taste for owning a wine cellar, let's see how to build one.